Tom Vanderbilt, in the 3rd part of his excellent 4-part series on pedestrianism and walking in America, focuses on Walk Score, “the company that tracks the “walkability” of locations around the world.”

[William “Holly”] Whyte, in his films of New York City street life, identified the street corner as an important factor in urban dynamics. Here was a zone of serendipity where people encountered one another beneath the blinking walk man, where they paused to chat before parting, where they formed small convivial islands just as pedestrian flow was surging most strongly.

Russell Shorto’s op-ed in the NYT — The Dutch Way: Bicycles and Fresh Bread — is a must-read for those who think America needs to break its addiction to automobiles, especially in congested urban centers. Before I quote from it,…

A couple of years ago, Kevin Klinkenberg, who currently heads the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, authored an excellent book about the myriad benefits of a day-to-day lifestyle that relies on walking: Why I Walk: Taking a Step in the…

The Savannah Morning News editorial page has a number of items of interest as we approach the Tuesday, Dec. 1, runoff for three city positions — mayor, alderman at-large post 2, and 2nd district alderman. A few thoughts: Letter to…

Thanks very much to the Savannah Jaycees for hosting the mayoral forum on Monday night, and thanks to WTOC for streaming it live and posting the embeddable video that you can watch here. Takeaways (these are of course my personal…

In my City Talk column on Sunday — Is it time to talk traffic calming in downtown Savannah? — I focused entirely on Drayton Street and Whitaker Street. Many drivers on those streets greatly exceed the posted speed limit (35…

Savannah’s Victorian District is among 10 neighborhoods recently chosen by the American Planning Association’s for recognition in its Great Places series. Other neighborhoods on the list are in Oakland; Denver; Washington, D.C.; Dorchester, Mass.; Jackson, Miss.; St. Louis; Albany, N.Y.; Richmond,…

In my City Talk column last Sunday — Lecture emphasizes versatility, beauty in street design — I talked about the recent lecture at SCAD of Victor Dover, an expert on urbanism and co-author of the recently released Street Design: The…

A few weeks ago on a gray Sunday afternoon, I got to Muse Arts Warehouse a little early for a matinee of The Collective Face’s magnificent production of Equus. While waiting for showtime, I stood along the Springfield Canal and…

. . . here is the information regarding the shooting schedule, road closures, parking restrictions and options, and other details. Everything below is from the City of Savannah: Sections of Broughton Street between Montgomery Street & Habersham Street will be…

If you’re not already planning to go to Savannah’s Fashion Night on Broughton Street on Thursday evening (9/5), you should really consider it. Even if you care little about fashion and never shop in any of Savannah’s boutiques, you’re almost…

Archives

Archives

ABOUT SAVANNAH UNPLUGGEDIn my columns in the Savannah Morning News, I write about the local economy and culture. But those columns don't exist in a vacuum: I follow a wide variety of national news and experience Savannah much more deeply than I can possibly capture in three columns a week. So here on Savannah Unplugged, you'll find everything from nationwide economic trends to nightclub photos. I also contribute to the political blog Peach Pundit and the music blog hissing lawns.